At Barclays, one of the world’s most significant financial organisations, we are creating the Legal function of the future. A place where the brightest and best legal minds come together in a high-performance, progressive environment. Where rich and varied careers can develop in a multitude of ways; where the structure is flat, but leadership is encouraged. And all of this in a supportive, diverse culture with a strong emphasis on work-life balance. For legal experts who want a future full of challenge, opportunity and visibility, the future is here.

Our Legal team is relentless in their pursuit of personal and professional excellence. We are genuine, valued partners to the business, encouraged to develop to be fully rounded legal professionals. Collaboration, mobility across disciplines and dynamic working are all part of our way of life.

Learn more about the future of Barclays Legal from Stephen Shapiro, Group General Counsel:

The future is here in our ever-evolving function

The best legal experts need high profile issues to work on, and at Barclays our Legal team is constantly challenged and stretched by the ever-evolving nature of our business. We are taking the great work we do to the next level, continuously improving and responding to tech evolution, geo-political change, the importance of data and a whole raft of other disruptive influences as the world we operate in changes.

Legal is scrutinised to perfection and very focused on excellence. It’s all about how we move progressively through the world that’s changing around us.

The global, complex nature of the business gives all of the us the opportunity to work across a spectrum of legal issues from Litigation and Competition, to Data Privacy, Cyber and Employment law. We are constantly improving the way we work, embracing innovative technology that will streamline our processes and enhance our knowledge.

Some in-house legal teams can find themselves constrained to managing counsel from outside the business, but we are very different. We’re proactive, respected lawyers at the heart of the action, working on, and owning, the most challenging problems.

The future is in our people

Barclays Legal is relentless in its pursuit of excellence, and our team are equally relentless in their pursuit of personal and professional excellence. We make high quality development and training accessible to every member of our legal team and fully support them to take ownership of their career trajectory.

We talk a lot about creating a more contemporary, supportive and inclusive place to work and I’ve been very much involved in making sure this happens.

Our colleagues are people with inquiring and flexible minds, able to think outside the box and capable of
handling a range of cases at any one time. They can absorb and adapt to the sheer breadth of experience available to them at Barclays; they expect to play a key part in the business and are open to moving between roles and working locations.

And, particularly, the best people in Legal are those who want to move forward with the function, develop themselves as fully rounded legal professionals and flourish in an environment that promotes location agnosticism, encourages global networking and truly values collaboration and mobility.

The future is in our culture and environment

At Barclays, we expect a great deal from our team. Our work is of global importance, and demands high levels of commitment, passion and energy – qualities we highly value and respect. More than that, we respect the whole person and everything they bring to our community. That’s why we are shaping a genuinely supportive and inclusive workplace where we can all thrive personally as well as professionally. At work, and in our lives outside.

I’m a mum and I was concerned about work-life balance but I have had a very supportive, very genuine experience. This is for everyone. Working patterns, not working 24/7. It is a genuine strength. We all have the opportunity.

Diversity and inclusion are very important to us. We have a caring and inclusive culture that allows everyone to bring their true selves to work, and encourages generosity and consideration for others. Dynamic working is also very much a way of life here, helping everyone who needs it create the best balance in their lives so they can do their best work. This culture is alive, championed and reinforced at the highest level: we are proud to create a very different environment for lawyers, one they can flourish in and enjoy.

And, as members of the wider global Barclays community, we are guided by our strong Values, and committed to citizenship. We believe we can make a positive difference to the world, through the work we do and the actions we take beyond our working lives.